ACLU : Keep America Safe and Free     http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=12126&c=207
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (http://www.aclu.org) works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. The site contains press releases, summaries and analyses, a timeline and overview of the Patriot Act as well as information about the Patriot Act II.  Also check www.aclu.org/safefree/patriot/index.html for recent information on the Patriot Act. 

Center for Democracy & Technology     http://www.cdt.org/security/010911response.php
The CDT is a non-profit public policy organization whose "mission is to conceptualize, develop, and implement public policies to preserve and enhance free expression, privacy, open access, and other democratic values in the new and increasingly integrated communications medium." This feature is entitled Response to September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks and it provides analysis of key civil liberties issues. Also included is reaction and analysis of the so-called Patriot II or "Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003."

In Focus : USA Patriot Act     http://www.pbs.org/flashpointsusa/20030715/infocus/topic_03/trans_pat_act.html
"Flashpoints USA (http://www.pbs.org/flashpointsusa/) with Bryant Gumbel and Gwen Ifill is an innovative public affairs series from PBS that brings together both compelling examinations of critical issues and a dynamic pairing of two of the most respected names in journalism." This Web site features the  transcript from a debate on the Patriot Act between Professor David Cole of Georgetown University and Viet Dinh, former Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy and chief architect of the Patriot Act. Reading the transcript (or viewing the video clip) will give you an idea of the different positions that can be taken about the Patriot Act.

JURIST : Legal News and Research : Patriot Act     http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/currentawareness/patriot.php
This site is maintained by the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  It gives current news about the US Patriot Act and the reauthorized Patriot Act.

Librarians' Index to the Internet : USA PATRIOT Act Resources     http://lii.org/pub/htdocs/search?action=show;search=patriot%20act;searchtype=keywords
Libraries have been impacted by the passage of the USA Patriot Act. The LII maintains a good selection of Web sites that address the privacy concerns of library patrons and others.

Preserving Life & Liberty     http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/
This is a Department of Justice Web site that has been launched to "educate Americans about how we are preserving life and liberty by using the USA PATRIOT Act." The site features the text of the USA Patriot Act, major speeches by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and President George W. Bush, articles and stories that are supportive of the Act, and a section called "Dispelling the Myths." (http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/subs/u_myths.htm)

Straight Talk on Homeland Security     http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_3_straight_talk.html
Authored by Heather Mac Donald for the City Journal (http://www.city-journal.org/), a quarterly publication from the conservative Manhattan Institute, this article defends the USA Patriot Act and asserts that civil liberties are still "fully intact."

Reform the Patriot Act
Advocacy site from the ACLU that includes updates on the recent renewal of portions of the Patriot Act, as well as a web blog and alerts to which you can subscribe to keep up-to-date about this issue - from the ACLU point of view.

USA PATRIOT Act Sunset: A Sketch - RS21704     http://opencrs.com/document/RS21704/2005-01-27%2000:00:00
This short report was written by Congressional Research Service American Law Division Senior Specialist Charles Doyle, and is dated January 27, 2005. This report is an abridged version of CRS Report RL32186, USA PATRIOT Act Sunset: Provisions That Expire on December 31, 2005.

Online Databases (Rio Hondo Students only)   

Civil liberties (Contemporary issues companion)
Call number: Ref JC599.U5C5463 2006

Homeland security (Current controversies)
Call number: Ref HV6432.4.H65 2005

Suggested Subject Headings
For additional titles on this topic at Rio Hondo, click on the following Library of Congress subject headings: